This book is written in an older classical style that occasionally compares the ancient Greeks with modern British traditions, which makes for strange and sometimes uncomfortable reading in this day and age. It goes into detail about many different facets of life in the ancient Mediterranean. The prose is florid, which I like a lot, even if it sometimes sacrifices a feeling of objectivity (which I tend to dislike in a history book) for emotional resonance and dustings of personal interpretation. I like it. ( )